I had a bit of a surprise recently. A few days ago I drove my partner's car to work because I was running late. It was the second time this summer that I drove, and the first time in really hot weather.
A while before, I had ridden to work and arrived rather wet, from sweating in the humid weather. My boss said "I know how you feel, because I drive here in a car with a broken air conditioner." I thought to myself, "ha ha, you're not exercising, you don't really know what it's like to be hot from exercising hard in this heat."
When I drove to work, I realized that it's really darn hot in a car, in the sun. The seats hold sweat on your body, and with the window wide open, the front windshield and roof of the car still do a lot to help you get hotter.
When riding in the hot weather, I've been wearing nothing but a mesh safety vest and a pair of very light, baggy shorts that the wind blows right through. With the constant breeze from being on a moving bike, it's really not that bad, whereas driving the car was pretty uncomfortable.
Just another one of those things that makes me realize, riding a bike as transportation is less a sacrifice and more a really nice way to get around.
bpohl
08-09-07, 08:12 AM
I actually thought about this this morning, as I watched the blubbery Hoosiers walking from their cars to the office (a whole block) in misery. I rode up on my bike, smiling, thinking about how crazy I probably seemed to all of them. :)
Blue Jays
08-09-07, 08:19 AM
Depends on the car. If a vehicle is blowing 58* Fahrenheit air around the cabin, the car will be cooler than a bicycle. Broken air-conditioning likely favors the bicycle a bit.
gwd
08-09-07, 09:53 AM
Just another one of those things that makes me realize, riding a bike as transportation is less a sacrifice and more a really nice way to get around.
I had to take a crowded bus yesterday, same reaction "I'd be more comfortable on the bike."
maddyfish
08-09-07, 10:28 AM
If the A/C in the car works, then no contest. If it does not work, then at least the bike fun, but hot.
Lamplight
08-09-07, 10:51 AM
It was 102 yesterday when I rode home from work, and I wasn't terribly uncomfortable until I stopped moving. Even when I'm in a car with good A/C, my back will be pretty sweaty.
1ply
08-09-07, 10:58 AM
It was 102 yesterday when I rode home from work, and I wasn't terribly uncomfortable until I stopped moving.
As long as I'm moving, I don't notice how hot it is. The minute I stop (usually once I get home) my head starts dripping sweat. Strange? Maybe but it keeps me moving :D
discosaurus
08-09-07, 11:14 AM
For very short trips, bike. Anything longer than 5 miles or so, the car. It takes a couple miles, at least, for the AC to kick itself up to full blast. Even then, the seat is still hot.
makeinu
08-09-07, 11:47 AM
If AC is working then I'd say the bus/train is the most comfortable because the AC has already been blasting for over an hour before you get on. Even with excellent AC a car can stay extremely hot for 30-60 minutes when it's been sitting in the sun all day. Coming in last place is the bike....you're exercising in the sun.
If the AC isn't working then the order is reversed. Bike is the best because you get the best breeze (just make sure you take it easy for the last mile or so). Car is second best because you can still get a pretty good breeze from the windows. Bus/train is the worst. Windows usually don't open very wide and the body heat of the other passengers turns it into an oven.
bragi
08-09-07, 11:51 AM
I get way hotter on a bike in hot weather than I do in a car, especially after I've arrived back home. It's still way better than being in a car, though; it's fun, I get exercise, and I have a good excuse to jump in the pool.
I have discovered, though, that it's a pretty good idea to slow down a bit if the temps make it into the
90s; a couple times this summer I got so overheated I nearly passed out.
evblazer
08-09-07, 02:13 PM
Depends on the car for how long it takes to get cool enough to beat a bike but in an A/C Broken ICE vehicle ewww. I drove an electric pickup with a broken A/C. It wasn't tooo too bad but I had replaced the seat back with mesh to avoid heat rash.
One thing I really notice about BikevsCar in the summer is when I drive I get alot hotter and need more AC/Fan at work/home. When I ride I need less even after I've cooled down. Walking from the car to the door at work can be pretty brutal. In the bike I roll right up to the door.
becnal
08-09-07, 11:33 PM
I'd give anything to be hot on a bike. :D It's rained for the last 8 weeks straight around here. The sun must be on strike.
MrCjolsen
08-10-07, 08:11 AM
A vehicle that's been sitting in the sun retains huge amounts of heat, even after you've been driving with the AC on. I've never had a car where the AC keeps it really cool inside - just prevents it from becoming an oven.
I don't think I sweat much less when I drive than when I bike. I know for sure that my clothes get dirty faster when I'm driving in them vs. just wearing them at work when I bke.
All in all, driving is a very dirty activity.
eofelis
08-10-07, 01:07 PM
Depends on the car. If a vehicle is blowing 58* Fahrenheit air around the cabin, the car will be cooler than a bicycle. Broken air-conditioning likely favors the bicycle a bit.
When I bought my car (used) 8 years ago the a/c didn't work and I never bothered to get it fixed. I keep it that way partly because I don't want to spend the money on a now 16 yo car and partly because it keeps me riding the bike (or walking) more than driving, to avoid getting into a hot car any more than necessary.
My SOs Toyota truck has good a/c, but he'd rather bike anyway.
ezpickens
08-10-07, 07:51 PM
Commuting by bike, I'm always amazed at how hot the air is around running cars. Man they put out a lot of heat.
Goriot
08-10-07, 10:36 PM
Commuting by bike, I'm always amazed at how hot the air is around running cars. Man they put out a lot of heat.
Yea its pretty disgusting actually. I've tried to time it so my breaths are between cars, but every now and then I take a large gulp of hot exhaust.
Nycycle
08-11-07, 07:38 PM
OK now, I did this thing the other day, it was like 107,,,,so I had to do something, so I hung a wet rag around my neck and felt like cool the whole way, that was freeky.....I will do that again. Just ride easy and the breeze is way better than that belt driven freon stuffed planet heater.
donnamb
08-11-07, 08:25 PM
that belt driven freon stuffed planet heater.
Excellent! :beer:
Roody
08-11-07, 09:31 PM
The most efficient air-conditioning ever "invented" is sweat.
A human body that's acclimated to the weather and in good running condition can comfortably tolerate a range of temperatures of about 80 degrees F. A flabby human body that's accustomed to artifically heated and cooled air will only tolerate a range of about five degrees.
Get outdoors every day, exercise hard every day. You'll be comfortable -- every day.
Blue Jays
08-12-07, 12:06 AM
Nycycle, toss the wet rag in the freezer before you depart for an extra treat! Feels good on a hot day.
Artkansas
08-13-07, 01:36 PM
When I used to ride in the desert, I really pitied the drivers without AC. The metal of the car soaks up a lot of sunlight and the windows trap the IR radiation, making it hotter inside the car than outside and it blocks the wind. And you get locked into traffic. It doesn't take much speed to get some wind cooling going, but locked into traffic you are forced to rush to a traffic light then stop, whereas on my bike I could coast slowly and keep the wind cooling going.
And many AC units are not made for such heat. A lot of the drivers with the AC on are only getting the temps down to 85-90 degrees inside.
Bikes are much nicer than cars in such heat.
Newspaperguy
08-13-07, 01:47 PM
For shorter distances, a bike is cooler than a car in summer and warmer in winter. I live in a small town and I'm close to almost everything. If I were to drive, it would take a while for the air conditioner to kick in during the summer or for the heat to warm the car in the winter. Moving around tends to regulate the body temperature nicely. (It doesn't hurt that I'm in a dry climate so I don't feel hot and sticky after a ride.)
Artkansas
08-13-07, 02:32 PM
One thing I really notice about BikevsCar in the summer is when I drive I get alot hotter and need more AC/Fan at work/home. When I ride I need less even after I've cooled down. Walking from the car to the door at work can be pretty brutal. In the bike I roll right up to the door.
It's funny how when you get off the bike after summer riding, you don't notice the heat. One day I came home, and soon after my ex-wife came home. She couldn't understand how I hadn't noticed that the house's AC was broken. While it was probably 95 inside, it still felt cool by comparison.
biketony
08-16-07, 07:49 PM
Few things in this life put me in a foul mood more quickly than sitting in a hot car. Thanks, but I'll bike there.
Newspaperguy
08-16-07, 07:51 PM
Good point, biketony. I feel the same way in winter. I'd rather ride than shiver in the car as I wait for it to warm up.
heywood
08-17-07, 08:27 AM
Weird, I too was thinking the exact same thing a few days ago. My wife has her sisters car for a week and instead of biking to the grocery store I just lept in the car..dumb..dumb.. It was hot, sticky and I saved no time (okay maybe 30 seconds) since there are alot of stores in biking distence in my town..
Last time I did that.. the car now sits in the driveway unless the wife uses it..
The engine is putting out around 400F when it's at optimum temp. and the only thing between you & getting fried is the well named fire wall that seperates the cabin compartment from the engine compartment.. I love the tech. behind the cars but for energy efficiant (and cool in summer/warm in winter) forms of human travel they really do suck.. :) Take a look at the poor slobs waiting for the traffic lights to change they're only a short circuit/switch away from having their artificial life support systems go offline..how long do you think they'd last? Poor bloody daleks.. :)
Cheers!
evblazer
08-17-07, 09:26 AM
I just got some HeatMax EverCool Cooling Bandanas. OH MY #)@( they are sooo awesome. I was absolutely dying in the heat but for the last few days even through the temp was 100+ it really wasn't so bad. A rag/cloth on the neck could work just as well but well I got these and they aren' really wet or dripping to touch.
They keep an ample supply of water around your neck to keep you cool. I got in my friends car for lunch wednesday. OMG it was an oven and he said it was the coolest car he ever owned because of the heavy tinting and such. It's kind of an unfair comparison though. In his car I was wearing pants and a button up shirt on my bike I just have lycra and a riding shirt.
My new bandannas in the package.
http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/I/31C7CE078VL._AA280_.jpg
They look like this when worn which is a hard look to pull off, which I fail to do miserably.
http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/I/31DYH05BTYL._SS90_.jpg
My wife is absolutely relentless making fun of me for wearing it but when I reminded her of her 3+ hour 16 mile ride in the 100 degree heat she thought she might try it.